After Derrick Lewis suffered a second-round technical knockout (TKO) defeat at the hands of Junior dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 146 a few weeks ago (see it again here), it was revealed that “Black Beast” was fighting with a knee injury.
As it turns out, it was pretty serious.
According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Lewis tore his ACL two weeks prior to the fight against “Cigano,” and Derrick even informed UFC officials of his injury ahead of their showdown. But after another doctor’s evaluation, the promotion still allowed him to fight.
Then came a new revelation.
His physicians recently informed “Black Beast” that he initially tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus way back in 2015 during his fight against Ruan Potts at UFC 184, which Lewis won via knockout. That means UFC doctors and several athletic commissions have allowed Derrick to compete 13 times while injured.
Insert raised eyebrows here.
Now, Lewis is set to undergo surgery this Tuesday (March 26, 2019) to correct his issues and could be sidelined for up to six months. When you couple Derrick’s knee issues and lingering back problems, one can only imagine the kind of run he could’ve had at full health.
Something all big men will now have to worry about upon his return.